The Timeline Trap (Ep. 507) Thinking LSAT podcast

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The Timeline Trap (Ep. 507)

2d ago 1:15:06

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Applying this late in the cycle shows desperation. And schools love to charge full price for desperation. There are two rules every applicant should follow. Apply early. Apply broadly. Neither of those things can happen at this point in the cycle. Instead, students should focus on getting the best LSAT score possible and apply at the beginning of the next cycle.

Ben and Nate discuss an article revealing how top universities fund tax-free faculty perks. They then move to law school strategy, urging applicants to prioritize career outcomes and apply broadly. They recommend retaking the LSAT to take advantage of score variance and stress the importance of mastering each argument. Finally, they caution against misleading AI advice, encourage persistence during tough study periods, and advise applying only when your LSAT score makes you competitive.

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0:30 – Tax Breaks for Professors - A Wall Street Journal op-ed by a UC Berkeley law professor highlights generous, tax-free perks that top universities offer faculty—housing, private K–12 tuition, and college tuition at other schools. These benefits boost professor compensation while keeping base salaries modest. Schools use tuition and student loan funds to cover these perks. The takeaway: your tuition may fund more than just education. The proposed solution is to end these tax exemptions.

22:30 – Should I Walk Away from a Full Ride? - Benjamin wants to know if it’s worth taking a full ride at a low-ranked school. Ben and Nathan ask, can a JD from that school get you the job in the practice area you want, in the location you want it, at the firm you want? Talk to alumni and firms to see if they are hiring from this school. Check ABA reports to learn about employment outcomes. Apply broadly, and if your scholarship is conditional, be ready to walk if it’s lost.

33:54 – Get to 175

Faith misses one or two questions per section, scoring near 175 in practice. Nate and Ben recommend using all her attempts to benefit from test-day variance. To achieve an official 175, Ben and Nate encourage Faith to stop trying to finish the section, slow down, and focus on understanding more of what they’re reading.

39:07 – Bad AI Advice - Beware of AI-generated content with false or misleading law school advice. One article even published verifiably false information about Stanford. Always verify what you read.

46:27 – Overcoming Roadblocks - Rachel spent 10 minutes stuck on a question. Nate and Ben see this as a positive—persistence shows strong reasoning ability. Reflect on what you learned from the process.

51:00 – Apply Now or Wait? - Nick is shooting to start law school in Fall 2025. Ben and Nate warn that is a recipe for failure. Applying next cycle is possible if your LSAT is high enough to get the offers you want.

1:01:43 – What to Do When You Don’t Know a Word - If you don’t know a word, try solving the question without looking it up. Ben suggests coming up with two meanings and using context to decide. Nathan suggests substituting “something” to test the sentence’s meaning.

1:18:54 - Word of the Week - Escrow - “We're updating our terminology to make things clearer, based upon valuable feedback from customers like you. In the coming days, we will be updating the term from “escrow” to “project funds” across the Upwork platform, while maintaining the same trusted functionality.”

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